


Novice

by Idiotgangleader



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Violence, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 04:19:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13450398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idiotgangleader/pseuds/Idiotgangleader
Summary: Reader is a novice and is assigned Altair as a personal mentor. However, their first big mission together goes very wrong.





	1. Defiance

The ache in your lungs and the blood in your nose caused your breaths to come out in raspy spurts. Bright lights shined in your eyes as you hung limply with nothing but your chained wrists and the cold stone wall at your back holding you up. The awkward position made your already labored breathing difficult and put even more pressure on your aching ribs. You had lost hope, no one would find you now. And even if they did, you would long be dead. Not that you deserved it. You had defied a direct order from a superior and got yourself captured. Any attempt at a rescue would mean endangering the Brotherhood. The most you could hope for was that your Templar captives were done with their torture and beatings and had left you for dead. But even if they did not, the next session would surely do you in. No, it would not be much longer now.  
  
Your thoughts wandered back to everything that had lead up to your demise. And everything that would never be as of now…  
  
Just a few months ago you were inducted into the order as a novice assassin following a few weeks on the streets fleeing an arranged marriage to someone who was almost three times your age. It wasn’t until later that you discovered that he was a Templar associate and that your marriage to him sealed a contract regarding your family’s land that would provide them with a substantial source of income. He was a cruel man, and you originally intended on taking your own life. But after one of his temper flaring nights of alcohol and bruises, as soon as he fell asleep you decided the proper way to end your marriage was by a letter opener to his neck. You had been on the run ever since. After a week or so of starving, you began hearing rumors about an organization that trained people to master the art of killing. Thinking that you might very well die a beggar on these streets if you carried on the way you were, you figured this organization may be your only chance at survival.   
  
You had stumbled upon the steps of Masyaf with a starving belly and ragged robes and were immediately brought before Al Mualim. At first he was not impressed with your emaciated and ragged appearance. It wasn’t until you threw your dead husband’s ring at his feet that he reluctantly agreed to take you. And was very he glad he did.  
  
After a few days of recovering, you were sent to train with the other novices. That’s when your talent started to shine. After a few weeks, none of the other rookies could beat you in the fighting pit. And your skill at scaling buildings caught the attention of even the higher ups. It wasn’t long before you were called once again before Al Mualim. Only this time, you were to be assigned a mentor.   
  
“(Y/N), your quick progress is commendable. But you still have yet to prove your knowledge and allegiance to not only the Brotherhood, but to the Creed as well. That is why from now on you will study under Altair. He himself can tell you personally the importance of the Creed and how it needs to be followed to the absolute. Isn’t that right, Altair?” spoke the Master.  
  
You could have sworn you heard the younger assassin let out a growl at these words but you blew it off as just being your imagination. Yet you couldn’t help but wonder if there was a story behind those words. In any case, you wouldn’t dare ask. You couldn’t name a specific reason why, but this stoic assassin absolutely terrified you.   
  
This said man, looked at you and sighed. Obviously not pleased as to having been assigned an apprentice.   
  
“As you see fit,” was all he said.  
  
Ever since then you were trained by the quiet assassin. You would awake in the early hours of the morning and scale the buildings of Masyaf. You would memorize page after page of books on philosophy and the history of the Brotherhood. You would practice your swordsmanship for hours on end. Yet, nothing you ever did seemed good enough for him. Whenever you made progress, he would just push you harder and point out the smallest of things you did wrong. It came to the point where you were convinced that your presence repulsed him. In a way,you could not bring yourself to blame him. If you were in his place, you were sure you would not be that thrilled about having to babysit a novice.  
  
Still, you trained harder and harder. And you made it your goal to prove yourself to the shrewd man. That’s when you were overjoyed when the master told you that you would be joining Altair on a mission to Acre.   
  
This was your chance! You could finally prove to him that you weren’t just some useless novice. And then maybe just maybe, he would actually look at you with respect and not repulsion.   
  
You arrived in Acre a few days ago and met with the Rafiq, Hamid. And it was during your time in Acre that you and Altair learned about a hospital run by the Templars that was being used for nefarious purposes. But by the orders of the Rafiq, you were ordered to investigate further before you pursued your target. Altair told you that you and him would continue the investigation in the morning and ordered you to rest. So you did, eager to continue the mission in the morning.  
  
However, when you woke that morning in the bureau, your mentor was nowhere to be found. You got up and searched the Bureau, in complete disbelief that he would leave without you. Temper running high you went to Hamid’s desk and asked if he had seen the moody assassin.  
“He left a few hours ago to follow a lead on a civilian that may have been recently captured by the Templars. He left specific instructions for you.” He answered plainly.  
  
“And they are?” you asked, feeling your heart race with anticipation.  
  
“You are to remain here at the Bureau until further notice.” He answered without looking at you.  
  
You felt your heart sink.   
  
“Are you kidding me?!” I yelled.  
  
He looked at me with a hint of disapproval.  
  
“Are you questioning the orders of your superior, novice?” he asked.   
  
Immediately I swallowed my anger and looked to the hard floor. Outbursts like that were going to get me nowhere.  
  
“No brother, I apologize.” I said quietly.   
  
“Good. Now, if we are done discussing this, there are clothes in the back room that could use a good rinse of water.” He said.   
  
You wanted to say something back to him but you kept your restraint. If word got back to Al Mualim that you were showing disobedience on your first mission. Things would surely not end well for you.  
  
“Yes, Rafiq.” You said as you walked back to the room.  
  
It wasn’t fair! This was your very first mission; your first chance to prove yourself. And you were being left behind like some child. He hated you; that had to be it. He didn’t think you could handle the assassin life. That’s why he always treated you like dirt. You were nothing more than a burden to him. Something he had to deal with because the Master ordered it and nothing more. As you sulked your gaze slowly drifted to the sky through the open roof.   
  
Then it hit you.  
  
Nothing is true…Everything is permitted…  
  
Maybe this was it. This was your test. In order to complete the mission, you had to defy an order. And you weren’t really defying an order. You were keeping to the Creed.   
  
The hospital wasn’t that far away. You could slip away, scope out the perimeter for any weak spots and return to the Bureau before anyone even noticed. You wouldn’t go so far as to pursue the target. No, master had ordered you are not to pursue until we had Hamid’s permission. You would just investigate and then return to the Bureau and nothing else. Or so you thought…  
  
Your little “investigation” is what got you into this mess. You were not expecting one of the guards to spot you hidden in the crowd outside the courtyard. Immediately the alarm was sounded and reinforcements were called. You were so very badly outnumbered, yet you still managed to kill several of them before being knocked to the ground. Right before one of the guards was about to finish you off, your mission’s target. The evil templar doctor of the hospital gave the order to bring you inside.   
  
And here you were.  
  
They beat you for hours. Place hot iron on your skin, and force fed you strange concoctions that made every inch of your skin shriek in agony. They wanted you to tell them about the Brotherhood; where the Bureau was, and the locations of other bureaus in the region. You fought with every ounce of will you had, to not spill their secrets. And by the will of God you had so far succeeded. But now your body was paying the price, the price for your foolish actions. You just hoped that Altair could finish the mission regardless of your recklessness.  
  
Just then, you heard the sound of fighting. You blew it off as the sound of another patient trying to escape, so you kept your eyes closed. Not having any strength left to keep them open. Then you heard more guards being called and the sounds got louder. But you still did not open your eyes. If one of the guards saw you were still alive, the beatings would start all over again.   
Minutes passed. And suddenly everything went silent. Not even the sounds of the patients screams reached your ears. And you thought you must be dead, the final sleep consuming you. But then you heard footsteps, gradually getting louder until it sounded as if they were right in front of you. You didn’t dare move, until you felt the gentle touch of a leather clad hand on your cheek.  
  
“(Y/N)…(Y/N), open your eyes…”


	2. Reassurance

“(Y/N)…(Y/N), open your eyes…”  
  
Immediately your eyes fluttered open at the sound of the familiar voice. He was here, he had found you. But you immediately let your eyes fall to the floor. You couldn’t bear meeting his gaze right now, not after what you had done. You defied him, and in the process gotten captured, which compromised the Brotherhood. You had broken the Creed, and you knew what the penalty was.   
  
“…Men…tor…Forgive…me…please…make…it quick…”  
  
“Do not speak.” He answered immediately.   
  
You felt his hand leave your face, and then…silence. You close your eyes waiting for the brief moment of pain that would be followed by the endless sleep. You were ready to accept death, this was the only life you had now and without it you had no hope for survival. The only thing you could do now was to wait and hope that your mentor would be merciful and quickly end your suffering. But the moment never came.   
  
Instead you heard the sound of what sounded like someone fiddling with the lock of the chains above your head that was keeping your arms bound to the wall. Before you could comprehend what was going on, you heard a click and your body feel free. You were confused when you didn’t feel the impact of your body on the cold stone floor. Instead you feel a strong arm curl around your waist and then another arm snake underneath your legs and lift you up. You couldn’t stop a groan that escaped your lips when he picked you up. Everything in your body was in pain, no matter how gentle your mentor was trying to be. You tried to think about why he was trying to be gentle in the first place, but thinking in depth only made your head hurt more than it already was.   
  
“Hold on to me,” he ordered.  
  
And you did. You wrapped your arms around his hooded neck and let him carry you out of the godforsaken hospital. Ironically, if you were any other woman, this would be enjoyable. You had heard all of the hushed whispers of the female assassins when Altair walked by and saw how they watched him intently until he was out of sight. In truth, you could see what they saw in him. The dark charm and stoic demeanor that was only begging to be broken. However, you had always put such thoughts in the back of your mind. You were still new, even for a novice; and your first priority was establishing yourself in the Brotherhood, not feeding ridiculous thoughts of romance. Still, it was hard to not try and focus on anything else but him at the moment. Especially with the way your body was hurting right now. Giving in, you took in a painful breath and allowed your mind to wander about your mentor and the current comfort of his presence.   
  
The fact that even now his presence brought you comfort was strange. Why didn’t he kill you? You had broken the Tenets, you deserved the penalty of death. No, death was too good for you. That had to be it. Silent tears slowly slid down your face as the pain from your injuries and guilt of your actions swelled like a storm inside you. Soon, the exhaustion as a result of the past few days took its toll on you, and you started to feel your eyes begin to fall against your will. You desperately tried to stay awake, fearing that if you fell asleep, you may never wake up. But your will had been weakened almost to the point of breaking. And you had no fight left in you.  
  
“…Rest (Y/N)…It’s alright…”  
  
You could have sworn you heard those words in his voice, but that was impossible. His words were words of comfort, and that was the last thing you deserved, in spite what you were currently craving. Perhaps it was just your mind playing tricks on you. Besides, Altair does not comfort; especially not you. No, this had to be the result of nothing more than a hallucination; nothing more. But soon your thoughts had left the realm of questioning and began to fade into nothingness…  
  
  
You awoke on a soft surface with every inch of your body aching. It still hurt to breathe, although not as much. In some places it felt as if your skin had been peeled off. In other places your skin was colored various shades of purple. There were a few locations where lacerations had been stitched closed. Your first thought was that someone had thrown you off a building into a pile of swords. But then your thoughts traveled back to the events of the hospital. You looked down to see that your previous attire had been removed and been replaced with a simple gray tunic. Your arms and legs were covered in bandages and your chest was tightly wrapped in linen underneath the fabric of the long shirt. Then the sound of two voices arguing in the next room caught your attention.  
  
“What else must we do?”  
  
“We have done everything we can, Altair. All we can do now is pray to God that her wounds do not succumb to infection or that one of those shattered ribs do not pierce a lung.”  
  
“ _Praying is not enough!_ ”  
  
“Have some faith in her, Altair. You have done all you can do. The rest is in her and God’s hands. I will send word to Masyaf to tell the Master your stay here has been extended.”  
  
“You have my thanks, Rafiq.”  
  
You looked towards the door and watched as your mentor walked back into the room. Your first thought was to lay back down and pretend that you were still asleep, but your body in its current state could not move fast enough. His eyes spotted you and widened when he saw you were awake and sitting up.  
  
“You’re awake! How do you feel?” he demanded as he ran over and knelt beside you. Hamid wasn’t far behind, standing in the doorway as Altair inspected you. Great, you thought. Hamid must know everything that had happened. There was no way that you were going to get out of this situation unpunished. You opened your mouth to say something but then again lowered your gaze to the ground and hesitated. What could you possibly say to him say to him after what you had done?  
  
Taking notice of your hesitation, Altair looked over his shoulder to Hamid.  
  
“Rafiq, could I please have a moment with my apprentice?” he asked calmly.   
  
Understanding immediately, Hamid walked out of the roof and you heard the sounds of a door closing behind him, leaving you completely alone with your mentor. You weren’t sure if this was a blessing or a curse, being alone with your mentor now. Your heart started to race in terror. But then you noticed his words and tone of voice. Altair never referred to you as his apprentice. Up until coming to Acre, he only referred to you as “novice”. Your thoughts were halted when Altair’s gaze was back upon your face, his golden eyes bearing into yours. You felt like a small child who was about to be beaten by her father for breaking the rules.  
  
“Mentor, I-“ you began.  
  
He raised a hand to silence you.  
  
“Answer the question.” He said in a soft but firm tone. You had no idea why he was speaking to you in such a gentle manner but it made you all the more nervous. So nervous that you had forgotten what he had originally asked you, and looked at him with a confused look on your face.  
  
“I asked you how you were feeling. As your mentor, your health falls under my responsibility and your injuries were very serious. I need to make sure you are recovering properly.” He explained in the same firm tone.  
  
His explanation shocked you. You’d never thought he’d ever give a damn about your well being. But then your mind immediately went to the worst possibility, he needed to make sure you were well to travel back to Masyaf. That’s why he didn’t kill you. Your fate wasn’t his to decide. It was Al Mualim’s. The dread filled up your body again like a wide open faucet.  
  
“I…I am well.” You said a little too quickly and still not meeting his gaze.  
  
He let out a quiet sigh.  
  
“(Y/N),” he said firmly, but not angrily as you expected him to.  
  
Your gazed finally lifted off the ground and meet his eyes when he spoke your name. He almost never used your name.  
  
“I am not angry with you,” he said quietly.  
  
Waves of confusion and relief hit you all at once. All this time, you had wanted nothing more than to beg at his feet for forgiveness, now he was telling you he wasn’t angry?  
  
“But, but, I broke the Creed! I compromised the Brotherhood, I defied your orders. I put the mission in jeopardy, I-“   
  
“Do you wish for me to be angry with you?” he asked bluntly, interrupting your rambling.  
  
You shook your head quickly, that was the last thing you wanted. But you couldn’t comprehend why he wasn’t, he had every reason to be.  
  
“No. I just…don’t understand…” you said quietly. You thought about the true meaning behind your words. Prior to this mission, you had only cared about your status in the Brotherhood and saw it only as a means for your own survival. Now…you found yourself thinking about not what the Brotherhood thought of you, but what  _he_  thought.  
  


He said down beside you on the floor.  
  
“You did not break the Creed, (Y/N). You did not shed any innocent blood. You did not intentionally expose yourself. And even under the duress of torture, you did not share any secrets of the Brotherhood. Not all men can claim the same.” He said calmly, and you could of swore that you detected a hint of pride in his words but brushed it off as your imagination.  
  
You were completely shocked, absolutely speechless.  
  
“Which is why, I will not report this to Al Mualim.” He added.  
  
You spun your head around in surprise.  
  
“What?” you asked.  
  
“That being said, your actions will not go unanswered for. But that is a matter we will deal with privately.” He said firmly.  
  
You nodded your head in response, trying to not think about what that meant whatever it may be.  
  
“I understand.” You said quietly, accepting that this was better than any outcome you could have hoped for.   
  
You then felt a gentle hand placed on your shoulder, so gentle as to not aggravate any injury. Your breath hitched and you looked to him in confusion.  
  
“However, that is a discussion that will wait until you have recovered. Until then, you are to rest here at the Bureau and alert me or Hamid at once if you feel your condition is worsening. Am I understood?” he asked firmly.  
  
Feeling much more relaxed then before, you looked up at him and nodded. You could relax for now, you told yourself.  
  
“Yes,sir.”  
  
“Good.” He said as he turned to leave.   
  
“And, (Y/N)?” he asked/  
  
You looked up to see him standing in the doorway turned away from you.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“This time I will be around to make sure you follow my orders.” He said matter-of-factly.  
  
You couldn’t help but let out a smile at this, the first smile you allowed yourself since first coming to Acre.  
  
“Get some rest. I will be back to change your bandages in a few hours.” He said as he went out the door.  
  
A part of you wished that he would stay, but you cursed yourself for thinking such things. Instead, you rolled back on your side, the side that was not injured the least, and went back to sleep, knowing your mentor would wake you later that day. You had a long road ahead of you, and you best be well rested for it.

**Author's Note:**

> And edited fic I wrote a few years ago that I am getting interested in again. Will continue


End file.
